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MEDITATION is the practice of clearing the mind, allowing it to become RELAXED and inwardly FOCUSED. Meditation relieves you of your external environment which can be full of stress/worries. It allows you to cultivate an inner state that is one-pointed and still. Your mind and your body slip into a smooth RELEASE and the mind falls silent.

Meditation is an age-old practice. In over 1,000 published research studies various methods of meditation have been linked to changes in metabolism, blood pressure, brain activation, and other bodily processes, especially as a method of stress and pain reduction.

I am relatively new to meditating and at first it was very difficult to sit still, to find a comfortable position, to prohibit my bouncing mind from wandering (a continual difficulty) but I’m making progress and I am definitely feeling more centered and in control of my habits, stress points, and negative tendencies.

Many people in the west mistakenly point to meditating as a form of Buddhist worship. This is an erroneous judgement that one should consider gaining wisdom about before they remark a falsehood. Meditation is a broad and encompassing subject and can be a valuable tool when one is interested in going deeper into understanding life and it’s complexities.

I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.

To find newness in this day and time can be a challenge. After all, scriptures do profess that there is nothing new under the sun and everything that is shall be again..and again…and again. With today’s immediacy and open information highway it seems as soon as something “new” debuts there are at least 100 copycats within 24 hours. But I won’t let that stop me from sharing what I discovered today. Markus Mueller is a digital artist who discovered a technique of portraiture that I had not seen before. He calls it “worming” and for me…it was new, it was beautiful, it was intriguing enough to vex me to study the images for quite a long while. His method does not compromise the beauty of the subject even though the image is pieced, layered, and manipulated. To suggest there may even be a spiritual connotation is not a stretch in the least. His work is detail at it’s finest with a vision that is a trip without the drugs.

Markus Mueller began working with this technique in 2006 and his pieces are available in limited quantities (I think he only produces 5 of each piece) and are delivered framed in museum quality acrylic glass and with a certificate of authenticity. You may view more of his work at http://www.mediamueller.com

2003 and two friends bring on a new brand called Eleven Paris in a small studio in Paris. Since then they have grown into an ultra contemporary collection of T’s and frocks for men and women with a splash of accessories and a few kid’s sizes. What makes the brand a bit different is the marriage it arranged with indie music/ fashion party scenes / and hip hop cult references via the cool t-shirts that are meant to be worn with…well, everything and anything. The designs are influenced by people, places, music and art which result in urban silhouettes featuring famous faces with a pop of pulp punk and you’ve got yourself a very cool get up. Check ’em out… http://www.elevenparis.com/en/

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If fashion stylists were given a title within the accomplishments of their work then I would imagine Damian Foxe would be knighted or decreed a samurai. I was stunned as I thumbed through the daily Bloglovin posts and saw these images on Fashion Gone Rogue. I took that moment, that time one rarely takes, to link over and read more. I’m so glad that I did. I discovered an inspirational talent who works with How To Spend It magazine which has been an insert with Financial Times of the UK for over 40 years. Damian Foxe is largely responsible for the magazines great success as he keeps readers coming back to see what new fantasy he has dreamed up to share with the world.

In this particular fantasy you will be swept away by his work with photographer Zena Holloway featuring a world of peaceful floating fairies…underwater! Don’t miss the video which describes the immense amount of planning and work that went into this production. I would go as far as to suggest this photo shoot was the sort most models, photographers, and stylists only get to dream about. It was, no doubt, tremendously difficult but the outcome is breathtaking..literally.

So, without further adieu – I give you the work of Damian Foxe. (applause)

It all started with car theft. An abandoned Ford in Michigan, which had been reported stolen in Oklahoma, brought on a hunt for what would soon be coined the greatest manhunt known to man; the hunt for Bonnie & Clyde.

It seems they were born to be criminals. By age 19, Bonnie was married to an imprisoned murderer and when she and Clyde met in 1930 she busted him out of jail via a smuggled gun and ran away with him..never to look back. In the end…the two crime-masters would have committed 13 murders, multiple prisoner breakouts, countless robberies, and car thefts. They formed a posse’ but over time the others either got caught or killed but they always had a network of support. Bonnie & Clyde seemed to be invincible.

As time passed the FBI began a full-scale hunt with distribution of “wanted” notices across Louisiana and Texas.

The intel came that they were staying in a remote area of Ruston, Louisiana and Bonnie and Clyde were to attend a party at Black Lake, Louisiana. The law enforcement including Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, hid in bushes along the highway and waited. In the early hours of May 23, 1934 Bonnie & Clyde eased down the road near Sailes, La and the officers opened fire.

Bonnie & Clyde were dead within 3 minutes…but the public remains to this day fascinated by the elusive and ever in love “Couple of Crime”. The romance of their affair and ‘on the run’ nostalgia resulted in a style icon following that is still recognizable today.

He came to America from Germany in 1847 and migrated to the west coast during the Gold Rush days. Levi Strauss became a respected businessman with his wholesale dry goods business but upon a letter from Jacob Davis, a tailor from Reno, he soon became the most well-known name in fashion history.

Davis explained in his letter how he had developed a method of reinforcing pockets by using metal rivets which was most advantageous for coal miners and hand laborers. Davis wanted to partner with Strauss to patent the design. Strauss was enthusiastic and brought Davis to San Francisco to oversee the manufacturing of his ingenious design. The patent was granted and enforced on May 20, 1873.

On a sad and sobering note, Levi Strauss & Co. was an American Icon; designed and manufactured in San Francisco. But, in 1992, as a result of the massive overseas relocation movement in the textile/garment industry and as a bid to save the company from diving profits, Levi Strauss & Co. all but closed up shop in California and now have their goods produced by third world countries and China.

The label “Made in America” is now a collector’s item and old textile shops are haunting grounds. But the Levi’s brand lives on and so do those famous 501’s.

On this day in 1962, actress Marilyn Monroe sang “Happy Birthday to You” to President John F. Kennedy during a Democratic fundraiser at New York’s Madison Square Garden. After the song JFK simply said..”..well, I can now retire after having ‘happy birthday’ sung to me in such a sweet wholesome manner”.

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Norbert and Yushi think she is the best thing since God introduced sliced bread and doggy treat cheese slices. No, Norbert &Yushi are not the latest replacements for Siskel & Ebert..but they know talent when they see it and they are quite adept at giving their human a pitiful look when they want a treat. Oregonian Photographer Carli Davidson is their human and she knows a thing or two about animal photography.

Carli is a rebel..she learned her craft on the fly and was born to photograph wild animals. In fact, it is rumored that she was raised by a pack of cheetahs. Let me tell you..she is not above doing what it takes to survive in the wilderness either..after-all she has a history of tattoos and politics (don’t ask). Take a look at this sexy video of slow motion slobber and then judge for yourselves. Is this the most risque’ video of slobber slinging that you’ve ever seen?

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Yeah, I get it…people are tired of hearing “Go Green”. That’s just too bad. Do you know why? Because if we humans don’t figure out how to be more responsible for the amount of waste we create and dump..this is what our home will look like.

Liberty Trash and All

When you twist the ties of your garbage and take it out to your magic can by the street and magic elves in the big rubbish truck come by on Tuesday to empty it for you..guess what? It doesn’t magically disappear into thin air. It gets moved around a lot..to a landfill, and then to a ship, and then…what do you think they do with it then? They dump it in our beautiful blue ocean. After our landfills are filled and when our ocean gets full.. then they will start dumping out in space..in fact..I think they already do! Disgusting isn’t it? We just don’t think about it..because well, ..it’s kinder and friendlier to believe the rubbish truck guys are magic elves.

Plastic is the biggest problem. Plastic is such a bad boy because we produce over 300million TONS of plastic each year. We have produced more in the last 10 years than we did in the entire 20th century. Geesh! That’s a problem. Why? Because plastic doesn’t just disappear magically when you throw it away..even if you ‘recycle’. Plastic is not biodegradable, it just tears down into smaller pieces and results in islands of floating plastic on our oceans. There are two large masses out there bigger than the state of Texas..They are named THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH. Check out this illustration;

Texas aint so big anymore…

Over 100k marine animals and 1million birds die every year from choking on our crappy plastic trash. Plastic is everywhere around us and it’s responsible for leaching harmful chemicals such as DDT into our soil and groundwater that are then consumed by humans and wildlife, causing illnesses and in some cases, death. Cut down on your plastic use..be aware of it in just ONE DAY of your life and you’ll see why we are ‘obsessed’ with plastic.

Peek a loot.

I bet you ask..”Why can’t we just burn the plastic to get rid of it?” well, the plastic emits a toxic gas which would make you and me really sick as well as finish destroying what we have left of our ozone layer. So..we have a conundrum here. Don’t think that making changes in your daily habits doesn’t have an effect..if everyone says that then NO change happens but if everyone becomes aware and makes even a small change like not purchasing a case of plastic water bottles…by using reusable bags at the grocery store..re-using ziplock bags, using tin foil instead of saran wrap..these changes DO help. Make it collective by mentioning it to your friends and relatives. Every grand change begins with a small one. Do something. Please.

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Most of us have heard that our Easter traditions originated from Europe, in particular the Germanic tradition of “Oster” which most likely came from the goddess Ostara and her hare. She and the bunny represented spring, rebirth, and fertility. As for the eggs, they could have been brought in by the tradition of Jewish Passover ending on Easter and thus the eggs were a treat to once again be allowed to eat. Egg hunts are rumored to have come from Martin-Luther the German church reformer who made a game for the children to go out on easter morning to search for eggs that he had hidden.In any case of origination, the tradition has been withstanding for centuries.

The dying and decorating of eggs is also an age-old tradition. The Ukrainian tradition of painting eggs has produced some of the most intricate and beautifully decorated eggs ever seen. This art is known as Pysanky – the art of decorating hollowed out eggs by drawing a pattern on the eggs with a Kistka and beeswax which shields theses areas from the ink and is then melted away.

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Whatever the origin of such traditions is, they have created memories for all of us to remember. For me, easter egg hunting and the surprise of an easter basket left by the easter bunny were second only to the jolly man in red’s surprises on Christmas morning. One must only hope that these traditions didn’t cloud the reason such holidays are celebrated. Happy Easter everyone!

Grace Chon is a lifestyle photographer who has a heart for animals in need. Her adorable rescue dog Zoey teamed up with his little human brother Jasper for Chon to have a little fun with ‘twinsies’.

Come fly with me….

Gangham Style!

Wazzuuuup?

“Your pace or mine?”

Chon’s background is in art direction for ad agencies but breaking away from that she has become something of a go-to photographer for people wanting a portrait of their beloved 4 legged’s. When she is not working on a job she donates her talent to animal shelters by donating her photography to aid in finding these lonely critters a ‘forever home’.

Grace lives in LA with her husband, little baby boy Jasper, and their two rescue dogs, Maeby Fünke & Zoey. She loves to hike, meditate, and garden. You can check her work out at http://www.gracechon.com.

Here a couple of my favorites:

Oh, and one of her favorite quotes is; “The camera is the least important element in photography.” -(Julius Shulman) I would tend to agree…a big heart goes a long, long way. Great work Grace!

The Art of Leadership: A President’s Personal Diplomacy by George W. Bush.

Who knew he was an artist outside of the political canvas? His personal works will be on exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas through June 3rd, 2014. One must give him good credit for only finding his talent since 2012. He could be our era’s Van Gogh…. with a little more dough.